


Better Luck Next Time

by SociallyAwkwardFox



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Blood, Dancing, Drinking, Established Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, Injury, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 16:37:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13721730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SociallyAwkwardFox/pseuds/SociallyAwkwardFox
Summary: Five times Jason proposes to Tim and he says no, plus one time things go a little differently.





	Better Luck Next Time

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as part of my Write for 365 challenge I'm doing on Tumblr. I've got a link to my Tumblr in the end note if you want to keep up with my daily snippets. Hope you all enjoy!

Calculating his opponent’s moves came to him as easy as breathing, but that didn’t make the fight any simpler. Unfortunately for him, his opponent knew his moves just as well as Tim know his opponents, which left them on even ground. His opponent had strength to his advantage and a speed most wouldn’t expect for someone of his size. Luckily, Tim moved just a hair faster than him and used his flexibility to his advantage as he pulled off complicated maneuvers to stay out of his grasp. Without his bo staff to aid him, he’d need to use his entire bodyweight to bring his opponent down or risk attempting to use his opponent’s weight against him. Knowing his opponent, he’d be more successful implementing the former strategy than the latter.

As he carefully avoided getting too close, he searched for any opening that would allow him to come out the victor. He thought he may have to switch tactics, when the perfect opportunity to take down his opponent presented itself. A swift kick to the knee knocked his opponent off balance just enough for him to get in another kick on his other knee. Both slammed into the ground when his balance completely gave way and placed his opponent at just the right high for his next move. He slammed a knee into his opponent’s chest to knock the air out of their lungs, then got enough momentum to twist them both to the ground with his thighs wrapped around his opponent’s neck.

Once they hit the ground, he squeezed with all his might while hands clawed at his thighs in an attempt to pry them off. When his opponent finally tapped out, a smile appeared on Tim’s face as he released his strangling hold and popped up. He chuckled at his opponent’s bright red face, then offered a helping hand up that was accepted with an appreciative smile. An arm slung around his shoulders and he wrapped an arm around their back and placed the other hand on their chest as he helped them over to the bench.

“Damn, Timbers. I thought we agreed to take it easy.”

“I did.”

A gruff chuckle left Jason’s mouth that immediately had him grimacing and reaching for his throat. “You could’ve eased up a little.”

“You could’ve tapped out sooner. Drink some water. I’ll go get an ice pack.”

“It’ll be fine.”

“Better safe than sorry.” To emphasize his point, Tim forced the bottle into Jason’s hand. “Drink. It’ll take two seconds.”

After making sure Jason started to drink some water, Tim left to retrieve one of the many ice packs kept in a small freezer near the sparring mat. He plucked one meant to wrap around body parts from the pile and slung it around his own neck. The cold sent a shudder down his spine at the contrast between it and his own heated skin. He returned to stand in front of Jason, then slipped the pack from around his neck and looped it carefully around Jason’s.

“Thanks.”

“It’s the least I could do after crushing your throat. How does it feel?”

“Fine. I’ve had worse, so I can’t complain. Plus, I got something pretty good out of it.”

The movement from Jason talking caused the pack to slip slightly, so Tim set about adjusting it to a more stable position as he spoke. “What could you have possibly gotten out of it? I kicked your ass.”

“Maybe so, but I always enjoy your legs wrapped around my neck.”

“Why are you like this?”

“Like what? Appreciative of your gorgeous body?” A hand trailed up from his knee, until it came to rest on his upper thigh and gave a firm squeeze. “It’s not just your body I appreciate. I appreciate your wit and sharp tongue. I appreciate your intellect. I appreciate the way you snore just loud enough to be heard and the way you drool. I appreciate your sense of humor and the fact you value our time alone. I appreciate you. Although, these thighs just hold a special place in my heart.”

“You’re utterly ridiculous.”

“Which you like about me.”

“Maybe. Maybe, I just like you for your thighs.”

“I didn’t say I only liked you for your thighs. They just happen to be my favorite part of you. They’re just so firm and grabbable.”

Tim snorted in response, then knocked Jason upside the head when he gave the thigh in his hold another squeeze. “Is there a point to all of this or can we get going? Some of us have work they need to get done before tonight. Why don’t you go ask Alfred to make you some tea? It might help.”

“Marry me.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?” When Tim took a step back, Jason took advantage of the extra space to stand up and tower over him. “It’d be fun.”

“I’m too busy to get married.”

“We don’t have to get married now.”

“Jason, no.”

“I’m asking you again. When you’re not busy, so that can’t be your excuse.”

With a roll of his eyes, Tim pushed onto the tips of his toes to press a quick kiss to Jason’s lips. “I look forward to it. Hopefully, the next one won’t involve my thighs.”

“They’re flawless and deserve to be praised!”

“Utterly ridiculous.”

* * *

 

While he wanted nothing more than to be in his pyjamas watching television and eating takeout, all he could do was dream about when that moment would finally come. Galas were never any fun for him and he envied the fact Bruce now had Selina to keep all the suitors away. One glance in her direction would get them a good look at her sharp eyes and cunning smile, which were enough to convince them not to even try flirting. Selina owned any room she walked into and she made sure all of Gotham’s upper class knew it. Despite being in a relationship, Jason never accompanied him to galas because patrols would run too thin if he did, which left Tim open to all those that wanted his money and status.

With a heavy sigh, Tim glanced over the man that had been attempting to chat him up for the better part of half an hour. Apparently, the man didn’t need Tim’s input on anything he had to say, he just wanted Tim to listen to him voice his opinion on matters he probably didn’t know much about. Unfortunately for him, Tim couldn’t be bothered to listen to a word he had to say and wouldn’t be able to repeat any of it back to him. How the man hadn’t noticed his complete lack of inattention was beyond him, but he wouldn’t complain if it meant others wouldn’t try to talk to him. Others would be much more determined to win him over.

As the man continued to drone on, an unexpected shadow fell over the two of them that actually got the man to stop talking. They both looked in the direction the shadow fell from, but only Tim got a bright smile on his face at the sight. The man appeared to be extremely confused as to why a man now stood over them with a smirk dancing along his lips. To the man’s surprise, Tim hastily pushed back from his chair and wrapped his arms tightly around Jason’s neck.

Before he could get too carried away, Tim looked back at the man and gave him a cheery wave as a hand on his lower back led him away. When he turned back to Jason, he found his boyfriend looking down at him with a fond expression plainly written on his face. The hand on his lower back shifted to his hip, while the other gently took up one of his hands and began to guide him around the dancefloor.

“Hope you don’t mind me cutting in. You looked bored.”

“Did it seem like I minded?”

Jason shook his head with a chuckle, then dropped Tim into a quick dip and brought him back up even closer to his chest. “Can’t say it did. He could’ve put an insomniac to sleep.”

“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t pay any attention to him.”

“Harsh, Timbo. What if he really liked you?”

“Then he should’ve gotten straight to the point and held my interest better.” After Jason set him back down from the twirl he’d lifted Tim off his feet for, Tim returned his hands to their proper place and fell back into step with him. “You should know that.”

“Well, it’s always good to hear I did the right thing by sweeping you off your feet.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but you did a decent enough job.”

“Only decent? I know how to fix that. Let’s get married.”

“Again with this?”

With a shrug, Jason spun Tim away and brought him quickly back in one smooth motion. “What can I say? I told you I’d ask again. If it gets to the point I have to ask you at every available opportunity, I’ll do just that.”

“All I can say is better luck next time.”

“Next time, you’ll at least stop to consider my proposal. I can promise you that.”

“I believe you.”

* * *

 

“What’s it like dating someone so tall? I bet it’s nice.” The excitement in Bart’s voice had Tim shooting a quick glance over at where Kon stood over the stove and got a shrug from his friend. “Is it nice?”

“I guess. He can reach the top shelves for me when he’s around, which is good. Although, I don’t mind climbing up to get them.”

“But what about when you cuddle? He’s so tall and big! It has to be like you’re getting cuddled by a human-sized blanket. All nice and warm and cozy.”

“If you want to cuddle with Jason, I doubt he’d mind. He loves to cuddle. He’s like an octopus in the morning.”

As he crossed his arms over his chest, Bart huffed and gave Tim a look. “I don’t want to cuddle with your boyfriend. I’m just trying to get you to talk about what you like about him. You’ve been dating for years and we don’t know whether you actually like him or not. I mean, we’ve seen the two of you together and you look like you’re happy, but we don’t know for sure. We know how much and why he cares about you.”

“Wait, when did you talk to Jason without me?”

“We might have given him a bit of a shovel talk one time. I wasn’t so sure it was a good idea, but Kon insisted and it totally was. He’s actually really sweet when you get to know him. I can totally see why you would like him.”

“You gave Jason a shovel talk for me?”

“Of course! We’re your best friends. Who else would do it?”

“No one, because we’re two consenting adults in a stable relationship that doesn’t need people butting into it.” After letting out an aggravated groan, Tim downed the rest of the wine in his glass and poured himself another to calm down. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the fact you two care about me so much, but I don’t want other people influencing our relationship. Jay’s convinced he doesn’t deserve me and I’ve worked hard to help get him out of that mindset. I don’t want people getting him back to thinking that way.”

“You love him.”

“Yes! Very much so. He’s got a rough exterior and he knows how to play the part he needs to play when we’re working, but when we’re alone I get to see him. The real Jason that’s kind and compassionate and thoughtful. The one that takes time out of his day to drop by my office to bring me flowers because he knows I’m stressed and takes me to bed, so I don’t hurt my back sleeping on the couch. I love that he can handle me and all of my quirks and dish back as good as I can give. It’s the little things and the big things, so yes. I love him very much. There’s no need to worry about that.”

“Tim?”

“Yes?”

When Bart didn’t say anything, he looked away from his wine glass to find his friend pointing at something over his shoulder. Before he even turned, he knew exactly who he’d find standing behind him and wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. The normal smirk he’d have when sneaking up on Tim wasn’t adorning his handsome face. Instead, he sported a soft smile that reached his gorgeous blue-green eyes.

“Love, huh?”

“Don’t act surprised. You already knew that.”

“Yes, I did.” Jason took a step forward and threw one of his large arms around Tim’s shoulders as he leaned down to press a kiss to his temple. “So, what would you say if I asked you to marry me?”

“I’d say I’m slightly drunk and not in the right state of mind to be answering a question like that.”

“Fair enough. What’s Superkid cooking up for you three?”

* * *

 

The explosion shook the ground below Tim’s feet and he dove out of the way just in time to avoid debris falling on his head. Once the dust cleared, he looked around the building for any visible sign of Red Hood or Nightwing. Worry ran through him when he couldn’t find any red or blue among the grey rubble piles surrounding him. He let out a loud cough, then struggled to his feet to begin looking for the two among the mess.

“Hood? N? Do you copy?” After another painful cough, he gripped his ribs with the sudden realization he’d hurt them in his attempt to avoid the debris. “Does anyone copy? Anyone?”

“Tim,” Despite how rough his voice sounded, it was easy to know it was Dick’s voice that spoke across the static of the comms. “I’m here and Jay’s with me. I was on the other line calling for back up. B will be here soon.”

“Are either of you hurt?”

“I’m fine, but Jay…”

“Where are you?”

“Second level.”

Before Dick could say anything else, Tim crossed the pile of rubble between him and the stairwell and shoved the door open. The metal banged loudly against the wall, but he paid it no mind as he took the stairs two at a time to reach the second level. He threw that door open just as haphazardly as the one below and took more caution as he stepped onto the floor. His eyes darted around in search of Jason and Dick and felt the breath in his lungs rush from his body at the sight of them.

A stream of blood coated the side of Dick’s face and made him look exceptionally pale-most likely because of the blood loss. How Dick looked was nothing compared to the man lying perfectly still in his arms save for the occasional rise and fall of his chest. A piece of rebar jutted out of his abdomen slightly to the left and just below his ribs. Blood painted where it went through him and puddled on the floor beneath his body.

“Hood?” Tim stumbled across the room and dropped to his knees next to his injured boyfriend. “I’m going to take the helmet off.”

As gently as possible, Tim removed the helmet from his head and shuffled over to take Dick’s spot under him. He ran his hands through Jason’s sweaty hair, then kissed his forehead with trembling lips and a sniffle he tried to hold back. A shaky hand reached up to rest against his arm and Jason opened his eyes, which were slightly glazed and full of pain.

“How does it look?”

“You’ve been worse.”

Jason snorted in amusement, then grimaced as the movement caused pain to ripple through him. “True. I was thinking more in terms of injury assessment.”

“Don’t worry about that, just keep talking to me. B, is on the way. When he gets here, we’ll get you the help you need. Sound good?”

“Yeah. It’s not like I have any other choice. I’m kind of stuck here.”

“Not for much longer.” When Jason’s eyes began to slide shut, a fresh wave of panic burst in his chest and he moved a hand down to shake Jason’s shoulder. “Keep your eyes on me.”

“Don’t ever want to take ‘em off, Timmy.”

“Always trying to put the moves on me.”

“Gonna do it, ‘til you tell me I can’t.”

“Not ever going to happen.”

Blue-green eyes disappeared behind a heavy blink and opened back up once again to look at Tim. “Does that mean you’ll marry me now?”

“Absolutely not. We can’t get married if you’re bleeding out, that’s ridiculous. You need to get better first.”

“Then you’ll finally say yes.”

“We’ll see.”

* * *

 

“Lift your arm.” The instant Jason raised his arm high enough for Tim to fit, he dropped into the open space and cuddled up to Jason’s side. “How are you so warm? It’s freezing out here. I don’t understand why we’re eating outside.”

Before whatever Steph threw at him could reach his head, Jason batted it out of the air and returned his arm to its proper place over Tim’s shoulders. “It’s not that cold. You’re just being a baby about it.”

“Says the person wearing so many layers you can hardly move you arms. Not all of us prepared to sit in the Arctic for two hours!”

“Haven’t you lived here your whole life? There’s no excuse to not be prepared for this kind of weather. You knew it would be like this.”

“I prepared enough to walk in it, but not to sit in it. You’re the one that decided we should have lunch out in the tundra!”

“You’re so dramatic. It’s not that cold outside.”

“It’s freezing!”

“We’re still getting ice cream after this, right?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Once he extracted his hands enough to reach his wallet, he threw a bundle of bills on the table and stood. “We’re going right now. I’m all for getting out of this cold and I’ve been craving ice cream. Let’s go.”

“Slow your roll. I haven’t finished my drink yet.”

“Who even says that anymore? It’s outdated.”

“You’re outdated.”

“Don’t judge me, when you don’t know me.”

“I know you better than you know you.”

“That’s a lie, only Jason knows me better than I know me. So, stick that in your juice box and suck it!”

Before Steph could reply with more than sticking her tongue out of her mouth, Jason cut her off with a loud, fake cough. “Oh, you remember I’m here too. I didn’t realize you knew. I thought I was invisible or something. It’s been known to happen from time to time.”

“Like we could ever forget about you. You take up too much space for that to be possible.”

“Ouch, Timbers. Right in the heart. I thought you loved me and cherished me. I’m not sure I can take much more of this pain and suffer at your hands. You’re tearing this family apart.”

“What family?”

“You, me, and Mr. Mittens.”

“Jay, sweetie, I love you.” Tim placed his hands on Jason’s shoulders and gave him the most sincere smile he could muster. “I love you so very much and I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your cat hates me with the fury of a thousand suns. When you were gone, he knocked over my coffee whenever he got the chance and looked me in the eyes as he did it. The one time I tried to work from home, he sat on my keyboard to keep me from doing any work. He also hissed at me whenever I touched your stuff. Mr. Mittens hates me.”

“No way. Mr. Mittens doesn’t hate anyone.”

“Well, what’s the difference between me and everyone else? You don’t take him off your lap or chest when you’re around anyone else because you want me there instead. You don’t ignore petting him to make out or have sex with anyone else. You don’t lock him out of the bedroom for anyone else. I am the enemy, Jay. I am taking up your time with him and he resents me for it.”

“He’ll just have to get used to it because you’re going to be around for a long time, especially if you agree to marry me. Right now, I mean.”

“How can you even suggest that when your own child can’t accept me. It’s just not in the cards, Jay.”

“He’ll learn to love you!”

Something smacked Tim on the side of his face before he could say anything else. “You two are beyond weird and so disgusting.”

* * *

 

Letting out an exhausted groan, Tim dropped onto the mattress and might’ve fallen off if Jason didn’t catch him by the waist. Even though he didn’t ask, he felt careful hands beginning to remove the various pieces of his tux-staring with his shoes. When Jason got him down to his boxer briefs, he flipped Tim over and pulled a pair of comfortable sleep pants up to his hips. He picked up the nearest shirt-one much too large to be one of Tim’s-and sat him up, so he could put that on for him as well.

With Tim dressed for bed, Jason went about preparing himself for bed by removing his own tux and putting on a pair of pants. As always, he didn’t bother to put on a shirt or socks like Tim always did before bed. The socks would always end up lost in the sheets by the time morning rolled around, but he still put them on. Jason dropped to the bed with slightly more grace than Tim did and much better precision, so he didn’t risk a trip to the floor. He let out a heavy sigh and dropped a muscular arm right above where Tim’s head rested on his pillow.

Despite requiring effort, Tim accepted the invitation to curl up on Jason’s chest and was rewarded with Jason’s glorious body heat and the sound of his steady heartbeat for his troubles. He let one of his hands rest against Jason’s chest, while the other remained tucked beneath his body because he was too lazy to wiggle it out. His fingers began to tap in time with Jason’s heart against his chest, then he stopped in favor of letting his pointer finger tracer along defined muscle and raised scars. When he reached the jagged scar marring Jason’s left side, he felt Jason press a kiss against the top of his head.

“Why are those more exhausting than a night of patrol?”

“Because rich people are vultures that never stop pestering you and you can’t punch them in the face to make them stop.”

“Right. How could I forget? People are so much easier to deal with when you can just punch them in the face.”

While he felt bad for snorting against Jason’s chest, he knew he’d done worse than get a little saliva on Jason’s chest. As Jason like to fondly remind him, he was prone to drooling and his favorite spot to drool just so happened to be Jason’s chest. “I don’t know how you could possibly forget.”

“No idea. Sometimes things slip my mind. Plus, I’m exhausted. My brain isn’t working at full capacity or whatever it’s called.”

“I think I can get it working again.”

“You do? How do you plan on doing that?”

“With one simple question.”

“Go on.”

“Will you marry me?” Having his ear still pressed against Jason’s chest meant he could hear the skip followed by an uptick in Jason’s heartbeat at his question.

“Did you…”

“Yes.”

“That’s supposed to be my line.”

Tim fought off the exhaustion weighing down his body, so he could sit up on his knees to look down at Jason. “It’s been a while since you used it and I was getting impatient.”

“Are you telling me the sixth time would have been the charm?”

“What can I say? I like to make you work for it.”

“Damn it, Timmy!” In a flash, Tim found himself tackled backwards with Jason hovering over him with a fond smile. “You can be such a brat sometimes.”

“Hopefully, I can be your brat sometimes for the rest of our lives. If you can handle it, that is?”

“God only knows if I can, but damn am I going to try.”

“So, that’s a yes?”

“You know damn well that’s a yes!”

“Lucky me.” Any other words Tim might’ve said were quickly swallowed by a pair of lips passionately ravishing his mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)).


End file.
